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The Paramount logo is displayed at Columbia Square along Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California on March 9, 2023. [AFP]
California and 11 other US states on Monday sued to block Paramount Skydance's $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, calling the largest merger in Hollywood history a threat to competition in film and television.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in northern California, marks a dramatic turn in the regulatory battle over the deal -- and a direct challenge to the Trump administration's Justice Department, which approved the merger last month.
The combined company -- which came about after Netflix bowed out of the battle to own Warner -- would control a sprawling roster of assets, including CNN, Warner Bros. Pictures and the HBO Max streaming service.
